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PRODUCT PORTFOLIO

Star product
Serif Affinity Version 2

A fully featured yet very low-cost challenger to Adobe’s Creative Suite, says Simon Eccles

X-ray view (to help selections in complex
images). As before there’s a decent range
of export formats and Illustrator EPS can
be imported.
New features in Photo 2 include non-
destructive Raw processing (allowing
initial settings to be changed while
keeping subsequent adjustments);
compound masks (to combine separate
masks into new ones); live masks; hue or
luminosity based masks; live mesh warp
(non-destructive distortions); normal
adjustment (lighting effects); saved mask
states (groups of different visibility can
be saved); and new JPEG XL export (with
lossy or lossless compression and other
new features).
What is the USP of the product?
According to Serif, it’s a combination
What does it do? Specifications the price is suitable for more casual users of the professional level features at very
Serif’s Affinity Version 2 is a suite of too. According to Serif’s PR manager low cost, perpetual licences, StudioLink
three very low cost but professionally Serif Affinity John Atkin: “Affinity apps are used by editing in Publisher, full-featured iPad
featured graphics programs. They can be Version 2 some of the world’s biggest names in apps and real-time rendering and viewing
purchased separately, but will share Apps: Designer, sectors like automotive, publishing, of edits.
architecture and movie production.”In
editing tools if used together. Photo, Publisher the Printweek Best of British profile of What training and support is there?
They cover the main functions needed Serif offers downloadable and online
for design for print. Affinity Photo is a Platforms: Windows Serif in 2018, Atkin said that the manuals and YouTube training videos.
expectation is that most users will
bitmap image editor/painter, Designer is 10 2020 or later, already use at least one of the main
for vector design, and Publisher is for MacOS Catalina 10.15 alternatives, with Adobe Creative Cloud There are demo and training facilities at
layouts. They are analogous to Adobe’s or later, iPadOS 15 or dominating the market. its Nottingham HQ. A user forum on the
later
Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. If website has self-help discussions and
you have all three, the StudioLink feature Price: £59.99 How does it work? some user-created tutorials.
lets users edit placed graphics by (Windows or MacOS), Assuming you’re familiar with Adobe
accessing the Photo and Designer tools £19.99 (iPad), Creative Cloud apps, there are few What is the price?
from within Publisher. £144.99 (all three) surprises in Affinity. It’s not a feature- Version 2 application perpetual
Serif introduced the original Affinity for-feature match, but there’s not much licenses cost £59.99 each for Windows or
Photo in 2014 and Designer in 2015, then Contact Serif Software you can’t do in Affinity just as well, one MacOS, or £17.99 each for the iPadOS
Publisher in 2019. There have been 0115 914 2000 affinity. way or another. There are several Affinity versions. The new Universal licence gives
serif.com
updates since, but the new Version 2 is a features not available from Adobe. you all three on all platforms (Windows,
major upgrade for all three and Third-party add-ons are sold via the MacOS, iPad) and costs £144.99.
introduces an iPad version for Publisher Affinity website. These include sets of
for the first time. templates, brushes, palettes and the like, Volume licenses are available for
with most sets priced at £30 or less. business and education users. Version 1
When was it launched and what Designer 2’s new features include: users get a discount on the Universal
markets is it aimed at? vector warp; a shape builder tool; knife License, paying £108.74.
Serif announced and shipped Affinity tool (to split up objects); distance and This also includes a free bundle of fonts
Version 2 in October 2022. Target area measure tools; DXF and DWG file and add-ons that would cost £223.98
markets are professional designers, but import (maintaining properties); and separately.
“Volume licenses are available for business and education users.”

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